97448: Information about the Shi’ah

We are in urgent need of information about the differences between the Sunnis and Shi’is. We hope that you can explain something about their beliefs?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Shi’ah have many sects. Some of them are kaafirs who
worship ‘Ali and call upon him, and they worship Faatimah, al-Husayn and
others. Some of them say that Jibreel (peace be upon him) betrayed the trust
and the Prophethood belonged to ‘Ali, not to Muhammad. There are also others
among them, such as the Imamiyyah – the Raafidi Ithna ‘Ashari – who worship
‘Ali and say that their imams are better than the angels and Prophets.

There are many groups among them; some are kaafirs and some
are not kaafirs. The mildest among them are those who say that ‘Ali was
better than the three (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan). The one who says this
is not a kaafir but he is mistaken, because ‘Ali was the fourth, and Abu
Bakr al-Siddeeq, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan were better than him. If a person
prefers him over them then he is erring and is going against the consensus
of the Sahaabah, but he is not a kaafir. The Shi’ah are of different levels
and types. The one who wants to know more about that may refer to the books
of the scholars, such as al-Khutoot al-‘Areedah by Muhibb al-Deen
al-Khateeb [available in English under the same title, translated by Abu
Ameenah Bilaal Philips], Manhaaj al-Sunnah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah, and other books that have been written on this topic, such as
al-Shi’ah wa’l-Sunnah by Ihsaan Ilaahi Zaheer [also available in English
translation] and many other books which explain their errors and evils – we
ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

Among the most evil of them are the Imamis, Ithna ‘Asharis
and Nusayris, who are called al-Raafidah because they rejected (rafadu) Zayd
ibn ‘Ali when he refused to disavow the two Shaykhs Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, so
they went against him and rejected him. Not everyone who claims to be a
Muslim can be accepted as such. If a person claims to be a Muslim, his claim
should be examined. The one who worships Allaah alone and believes in His
Messenger, and follows that which he brought, is a real Muslim. If a person
claims to be a Muslim but he worships Faatimah or al-Badawi or al-‘Aydaroos
or anyone else, then he is not a Muslim. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and
sound. Similarly, anyone who reviles the faith, or does not pray, even if he
says that he is a Muslim, is not a Muslim. The same applies to anyone who
mocks the faith or mocks the prayer or zakaah or fasting or Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or who disbelieves in him, or
says that he was ignorant or that he did not convey the message in full or
convey the message clearly. All such people are kaafirs. We ask Allaah to
keep us safe and sound.